Private tours from Thimphu, Bhutan
Answer the longing.
Bhutan is waiting.
Fortress-monasteries above glacial rivers, masked dances in sunlit courtyards and trails that lead to the foot of sacred peaks — journeys through the Dragon Kingdom, planned by people who call it home.
Welcome to Longing Bhutan Travels
A kingdom that stays with you long after you leave
So many travellers say the same thing on the flight home from Bhutan: I want to come back. That feeling — part wonder, part homesickness for a place you have only just met — is the longing our name is taken from.
We are a tour company based in Thimphu, planning private journeys for travellers who want to see Bhutan properly: not just the famous sights, but the farmhouse kitchens, the village temples and the quiet hours in between. Tell us what you are looking for, and we will build the trip around it.
- Private journeys for couples, families and small groups
- Culture, festivals, treks and slow travel across all of Bhutan
- Licensed guides, certified hotels and itemised quotations
Handpicked journeys
Our most-loved Bhutan tours
Six of our ten journeys — each private, each adjustable, each ending with a personal quotation rather than a price list.
Culture
- 7 days
- Thimphu · Punakha · Paro
The classic first journey: Thimphu, the 108 chortens of Dochula, Punakha's river-fortress and the Tiger's Nest, at a pace that leaves time to linger.
6 nights · 7 days
Culture
- 11 days
- Thimphu · Punakha · Trongsa · Bumthang · Paro
Cross the Black Mountains to Trongsa and on to Bumthang, the cluster of valleys where Buddhism first took root in Bhutan.
10 nights · 11 days
Festival
- 8 days
- Thimphu · Punakha · Paro
Time your journey to Paro's spring festival: masked dances in the dzong courtyard and, at dawn on the final day, the unveiling of the great thongdrel.
7 nights · 8 days
Trek
- 9 days
- Paro · Thimphu
The old high path between Paro and Thimphu: five days over ridges and past glacial lakes, with the Himalaya on the horizon and a monastery at the end.
8 nights · 9 days
Nature
- 8 days
- Thimphu · Phobjikha · Punakha · Paro
Follow the road to Phobjikha, the broad glacial valley where endangered black-necked cranes return each winter from the Tibetan plateau.
7 nights · 8 days
Nature
- 7 days
- Paro · Haa
Cross the Chele La, one of Bhutan's highest road passes, into Haa — a quiet western valley of farmhouses, alpine forest and village temples — and stay with a local family.
6 nights · 7 days
Why travel with us
Small company. Deep roots. Every detail considered.
Rooted in Thimphu
We live here. Our team knows which roads are under repair this week, which lodge has the warmest stoves and when the monks begin their evening prayers.
Private, never packaged
Every journey is built for you alone — your dates, your pace, your interests. Change anything before you travel, and a lot of things once you are here.
Licensed local guides
Our guides are licensed by the Department of Tourism and chosen for their patience as much as their knowledge. They are the heart of every trip.
Honest, itemised quotes
Your quotation shows the Sustainable Development Fee and visa fee on their own lines, so you always know where your money goes.
Paced for the mountains
Altitude, long drives and steep monastery stairs are planned for, with rest where you need it and alternatives when the weather turns.
One team, start to finish
The people who answer your first email are the people who meet you at Paro — and who are a phone call away every day you are here.
Festivals of Bhutan
Time your journey to a tshechu
Once a year, every dzong comes alive with masked dances performed for the blessing of all who watch. We plan around the lunar calendar so that you are in the courtyard when the drums begin.
Where we travel
Valleys of the Dragon Kingdom
How it works
From first message to Paro arrival
01
Tell us your dream
Share your dates, who is travelling and what draws you to Bhutan — through the form, email or WhatsApp.
02
Receive your plan
We send a day-by-day itinerary and an itemised quotation, then refine it with you.
03
We handle the details
Visa, SDF, flights to Paro if you need them, hotels, guide and vehicle — all arranged.
04
Arrive and be welcomed
Your guide meets you at Paro with a white kata scarf. From there, simply travel.
Guest reviews
Words from our travellers
★★★★★
Our guide seemed to know exactly when we needed tea and when we needed silence. At the Tiger's Nest he let us go at our own pace and never once made us feel slow. Punakha Dzong in the evening light is something I will never forget.
S
Sarah
United Kingdom · Heart of Western Bhutan
★★★★★
We wanted to go beyond Paro and Thimphu and Longing Bhutan understood that from the first email. Bumthang was the highlight — the temples, the buckwheat pancakes, the quiet. Every hotel was clean and warm.
RM
Rahul & Meera
★★★★★
The camp crew were brilliant. Hot tea at the tent door every morning, and the food on the trail was better than most restaurants at home. Waking up to the peaks above Jimilang Tsho was worth every step.
D
Daniel
Australia · Druk Path Trek
★★★★★
I came for the cranes and stayed for the people. Our lodge in Phobjikha had a wood stove and the family taught us to make ema datshi. We heard the cranes calling before we saw them.
Y
Yuki
★★★★★
Getting up before dawn to see the thongdrel was magical. Our guide explained every dance and even found my husband a gho to wear. The planning before the trip was clear and patient.
M
Martina
Germany · Paro Tshechu Festival Journey
★★★★★
Crossing the whole country was an adventure. The east felt like a different Bhutan — fewer visitors and so much warmth. They were honest about the simpler hotels there, and we loved them anyway.
JL
James & Linda
United States · The Great Traverse: West to East
★★★★★
The homestay in Haa was the best night of the trip. Our host grandmother laughed at my dumpling-folding and then showed me again, three times. Exactly the kind of Bhutan I was longing for.
P
Priya
Singapore · Haa Valley & Hidden Villages
★★★★★
Serious trek, seriously well organised. The rest day at Jangothang made all the difference for acclimatising, and the guide checked on each of us every evening. Jomolhari at sunrise is unreal.
T
Tom
Canada · Jomolhari Base Camp Trek
Licensed & recognised
Authorised by & affiliated with
We operate under licence from the Department of Tourism, Royal Government of Bhutan, and work with the national associations for tour operators and guides.
Department of Tourism
ABTO
Guide Association of Bhutan
Fly into Paro with Bhutan's two national carriers
Drukair
Bhutan Airlines
Before you go
Travel essentials
The practical side of a Bhutan journey, explained without jargon. We handle the paperwork — but it helps to know how it works.
Visa & SDF
US$40 visa and the daily Sustainable Development Fee, explained plainly.
Getting there
Flights into Paro and the land borders with India.
Best time to visit
Season by season — flowers, festivals, clear peaks and quiet winters.
Good to know
Guides, money, dress in dzongs, altitude and what to pack.
Frequently asked
Yes — every visitor except citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives needs a visa. The fee is US$40, paid once. You can apply online through the official Department of Tourism portal yourself, or we can apply on your behalf together with your hotel bookings.
A daily fee that supports Bhutan's free healthcare and education, conservation and sustainable tourism. It is US$100 per adult per night, US$50 for children aged 6 to 12, and children under 6 are exempt. Indian nationals pay Nu. 1,200 per night. These rates are confirmed until 31 August 2027.
You are free to walk around Paro and Thimphu on your own. A licensed guide is required for visits to dzongs and monuments and for travel beyond those two towns — which is why every one of our journeys includes one.
Most visitors fly into Paro, Bhutan's principal international airport, on Drukair or Bhutan Airlines, with direct flights from cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Singapore. You can also enter by road at Phuentsholing, Gelephu or Samdrup Jongkhar on the Indian border.
Spring (March to May) brings rhododendrons and festivals; autumn (September to November) brings the clearest mountain views. Winter is cold but bright and quiet, and the cranes are in Phobjikha. Summer is the monsoon — green, fewer visitors, and some cloud over the peaks.
Plan your journey
Send Inquiry & Get a Quotation
Tell us when you would like to travel, who is coming and what draws you to Bhutan. We will reply with a draft itinerary and a personal quotation, then shape it with you until it feels right.
- Every journey is private and tailor-made
- Visa, SDF, hotels, guide and transport handled for you
- No obligation — ask as many questions as you like